Michael Gove spoke at the BETT Show on 11 January 2012 about freeing up teachers to innovate in the fast-moving subject of ICT. During the question time at the end of his speech he was asked by a NATE representative whether his vision included subject associations.
‘Absolutely.... I’d love... your own subject association and others who care about reading and literacy and literature to engage.’ - Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove at BETT, Wednesday 11 January 2012
NALDIC welcomes the Secretary of State’s highly positive response to the involvement of subject associations in considering the future of the curriculum. However a cautionary article in the Times Education Supplement outlines the difficult situation that many subject associations face:
Subject associations south of the border should be enjoying their day in the sun. With the bonfire of education quangos and local authority budgets stretched to the limit, there is a huge gap in teacher training and support for them to fill.
But they are facing one of the bleakest periods in their history. Staff numbers are being slashed by up to 60 per cent, income is falling by as much as 90 per cent and membership is down. Some are warning that their very existence is under threat.
John Steers, chair of trustees at the Council for Subject Associations (CfSA), which represents 32 of the organisations, warned that all of them were facing problems. “For the majority, the current situation is not sustainable beyond the short term,” he said. difficult picture
While there may be a gap in in teacher training and support, many subject associations are struggling to survive with difficulties retaining their members whilst they are competing with a new breed of highly marketised private training providers.
As the TES headline notes, subject associations would undoubtedly be missed if they fail in this difficult transitional period.
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